Chicago Exploring Stadium Expansion to Attract Super Bowl

Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel is really pushing for Chicago to be the next cold weather city to host the Super Bowl.

Now the mayor and the Chicago Park District who operates Soldier Field where the Bears play are exploring adding 5,000 seats in hopes of being more attractive for a Super Bowl destination. From the Chicago Tribune:

It’s an exploration to see what, if anything, is possible,” Emanuel spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton told the Chicago Tribune.

“The goal is to find a decision that moves the city forward. You don’t measure it that way. Would a Super Bowl be good for the city and good for the NFL? I think yes. Would having the NFL draft here be good for the city and for the NFL? The answer is yes. The goal is to have a discussion,” Emanuel said.

Speculation is that Chicago could bid for a Super Bowl in 2019. I am not a huge fan of cold weather Super Bowls and Chicago does have worse winters than New York generally. However, I personally think that Chicago should get the game and then cold weather Super Bowls should be retired.